O.  E.  S.  Library.  COK  2.  ^O.^ 


THE 


BULLETIN  No.  98. 


JUNE.  1889. 


HOME-MIXED  FERTILIZERS. 

This  Bulletin  contains  analyses  of  all  the  samples  of  Home- 
mixed  Fertilizers  which  have  been  sent  to  the  Station  this  year, 
with  such  facts  as  could  be  obtained  regarding  their  cost,  etc. 
The  formulas  by  which  the  fertilizers  were  mixed  are  first  given 
followed  by  the  table  of  analyses  and  valuations  with  some  ex 
planations  and  further  remarks  regai'ding  them. 

2455.  Mixture  for  General  Use.  Made  by  the  late  J.  J. 
Webb,  Hamden. 

Formula. 

834  pounds  Dissolved  Bone  Black,  costing $10.43 

666      '■        Tankage,                              "       9.32 

208      "        Snlphate  of  Ammonia,     "       T.SO 

292       "        Muriate  of  Potash,           " -..  5.84 

2000      "                                              -      "  |33.39 

Add  freight  to  New  Haven 1.60 

Total  cost  of  raw  material $34  99 


Mr.  Webb  bought  the  above  chemicals  on  guarantee,  intending 
to  have  a  mixture  containing  Nitrogen  4.75  per  cent.,  Phosphoric 
Acid  8  per  cent,  and  Potash  7.75  per  cent.  The  analysis  given 
further  on  will  show  how  closely  the  calculation  agreed  with  the 
actual  composition. 

The  materials  cost  $33.39  in  New  York  or  |t;J4.99  in  New 
Haven. 

2456.  Mixture  for  Corn.     Made  by  Dennis  Fenn,  Milford. 

Formula. 

700  pounds  of  Ground  Bone,  costing $10.50 

500       "        "  Tankage,  "       7.15 

1000       "        "  Dissolved  Bone  Black,  "       13.00 

300       "        "  Sulpliate  of  Ammonia,  "        11.19 

250       "        "  Muriate  of  Potash,  "        5.20 

200       "        "  Double  Sulphate  of  Potash  and  Magnesia,       "       3.06 

2950       "  "  $50.10 

These  materials  cost  150.10,  or  $34.00  per  ton  delivered  in 
Milford. 

2457,  Mixture  No.  1  and  2458,  Mixture  No.  2.  Made  by 
C.  T.  Merwin  &  Son,  Milford. 

Formulas. 

Mixture  No.  2. 
133  lbs,  costing- _  $4.99 
530    "  "       ...     7.58 

400    "  "        ._.      6.02 

670    "  "       ...     8.71 

267    "  "       ___     5.55 

2000     "  "  $33.50        2000    "  "  $32.85 

The  cost  covers  freight  to  Milford. 

2474.  Mixture  made  by  Edward  Davis  of  Whitneyville. 

Formula. 

Home  made  Superphosphate _  _ _  _ . : . .     350  pounds 

FishScrap 350 

Sulphate  of  Ammonia ._ 110       " 

Muriate  of  Potash- 150       " 

960 

The  Superphosphate  was  made  by  dissolving  in  oil  of  vitriol 
refuse  bone  char  from  a  factory  where  bone  was  used  for  case- 
hardeninsr.     The  cost  of  material  is  unknown. 


Mixture  No.  1. 

Sulphate  of  Ammonia,   166  lbs, 

costing 

$6.19 

Tankage,                           666    " 

"       

9.52 

Bone,                                  ---     " 

"       

Dissolved  Bone  Black,    834    " 

"       --. 

10.84 

Muriate  of  Potash,          334    " 

'' 

6.95 

2588.  iNlixturo  for  (ienenil  Use.     Made  by  X.  1).  Pliitt,  Mil- 
ford. 

FOHMULA. 

500  |Kiiniils  Siiliiliiitc  oC  Ainiiioilia,             costing .$18.65 

2000       "        Tankage,                                          " 28.60 

500       "        Bone,                                              "      7.53 

2000       "        Dissolved  Bono  Black,                   "       2G.00 

5O0       "        Muriate  of  Potash,                        ••       )0.40 

270       ''         High  grade  Sulphate  of  Potash,  "       8.2G 

5770       "  Total ..'§99.44 

Cost  o(  materials  delivered  at  Milford  $34.50  per  ton. 

2589.  Mixture  made  by  N.  S.  Piatt,  Cheshire. 

FORJIULA. 

100  pounds  Bone,                                                            costing $1.75 

300       "        Blood,  Bone  and  Meat,                                    ''     5.25 

800       "        Dissolved  Bone  Black,                                    "     10.40 

300       "        Double  Sulphate  of  Potash  and  Magnesia,  "     4.50 

1500       •'  Total,  "     $21.80 

Cost  of  the  materials  in  New  Haven .$29.07  per  ton. 

Add  freight 1.20 

Cost  in  Cheshire $30.27 

2591.  Mixture  made  by  R.  M.  Treat,  Woodmont. 

Formula. 

900  pounds  Tankage,  costing §12.87 

340       "        Sulphate  of  Ammonia,  "       12.68 

200       "        Ground  Bone,  "       8.01 

2000       "        Dissolved  Bone  Black,  "       26.00 

560       "        Muriate  of  Potash,  "       11.65 

4000       "  "  $66.21 

Cost  of  the  materials  delivered  at  Woodmont  $33.1]  per  ton. 

2592.  Mixture  lor  Corn.     Made  by  Geo.  J".  Piatt,  Milford. 

Formula. 

450  pounds  Tankage,  costing .,  $6.44 

450       '•        Ground  Bone,  "       6.77 

232       "        Sulphate  of  Ammonia,  "       8.65 

384       "        Dissolved  Bone  Black,  "       4.99 

305       "        Muriate  of  Potash,  "       .  6.34 

179       "        liigh-grade  Sulphate  of  Potash,        '•       .._ 5.48 


2000 


$38.67 


The  cost  of  these  materials,  delivered  at  Milford,  was  ^38.61 
per  ton. 

2593.  Mixture  for  Potatoes.     Made  by  G.  F.  Piatt,  Milford. 

Formula. 
500  pounds  Sulphate  of  Ammonia,  costing $18.65 


2500 
2500 
2500 

750 
550 

9300 


Tankage,  "  35.75 

Ground  Bone,  "  37.63 

Dissolved  Bone  Black,  "  32.50 

Mixriate  of  Potash,  "  15.60 

Sulphate  of  Potash,  "  . 16.83 


$156.96 


Cost  of  the  materials  delivei-ed  in  Milford  $33.75  per  ton. 

2594.  Mixture  for  Potatoes.     Made  by  Dennis  Fenn,  Milford. 

Formula. 

200  lbs.  Sulphate  of  Ammonia,                                       costing $7.46 

500     "    Tankage,                                                                  "       7.15 

650    "    Bone,                                                                        "       9.78 

1000    "    Dissolved  Bone  Black,                                          "      13.00 

250    "    Muriate  of  Potash,                                                  "       5.20 

800    "    Double  Sulphate  of  Potash  and  Magnesia,         "       12.24 


3400  $54.83 

Cost  of  materials  delivered  in  Milford,  $32.26  per  ton. 

The  raw  materials  used  for  these  mixtures  were  for  the  most 
part  purchased  from  L.  Sanderson,  of  New  Haven  and  C.  Meyer, 
Jr.,  of  Maspeth,  L.  I.,  and  were  sampled  by  station  agents  and 
analyzed  early  in  the  season.  Knowing  their  composition  and 
the  quantity  of  each  which  was  used,  the  composition  of  the  mix- 
tures can  be  calculated,  assuming  that  all  weights  wei'e  correctly 
taken,  that  the  materials  had  not  lost  or  gained  moisture  and  that 
\)oth  mixing  and  sampling  bad  been  thorough.  These  calculated 
analyses  are  given  in  the  table  to  compare  with  the  actual  com- 
position of  the  mixtures.  The  agreement  is  quite  satisfactory, 
with  the  single  exception  of  No.  2589. 

The  mechanical  condition  of  these  mixtures  is  excellent  and 
their  chemical  composition  corresj)onds  with  that  of  the  ready 
mixed  "  special  fertilizers  "  and  ammoniated  superphosjjhates  of 
the  highest  grade. 


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It  should  be  added  that  the  costs  are  based  on  the  regular  cash 
ton  prices  of  the  trade.  The  actual  cost  in  many,  if  not  all,  of 
these  cases  has  been  considerably  reduced  by  special  club  rates 
which  are  given  where  a  number  of  farmers  give  a  cash  order 
through  an  agent  for  a  car  lot  or  more. 

The  average  cost  of  materials,  for  the  fertilizers  referred  to  in 
this  Bulletin,  has  been  $33.79  per  ton  delivered  at  the  purchaser's 
freight  station.  Two  dollars  will  fully  cover  the  cost  of  screen- 
ing and  mixing.  [From  a  dollar  to  a  dollar  and  a  half  is  the  esti- 
mate of  those  who  have  done  the  work.]  At  the  highest  estimate, 
therefore,  the  average  cost  of  these  home-mixed  fertilizers  has 
been  $35. 79  per  ton.  The  average  valuation  has  been  $38.83 
per  ton.  In  no  case  has  the  valuation  been  less  than  the  cost  of 
the  chemicals  mixed.  The  valuation  of  ready-mixed  fertilizers 
on  the  other  hand  is  quite  uniformly  less  than  their  cost. 

The  advantages  claimed  for  home-mixing  are  : 

1.  Each  ingredient  can  be  separately  examined  by  the  pur- 
chaser and  if  necessary  sent  to  the  Experiment  Station  for 
analysis.  The  detection  of  inferior  forms  of  nitrogen  or  phos- 
phoric acid  is  much  easier  and  more  certain  in  a  single  article 
than  in  a  mixture. 

2.  It  is  self-evident  that  an  intelligent  farmer  by  home-mixing  is 
better  able  than  any  one  else  can  be  to  adapt  the  composition  of 
his  fertilizers  to  the  special  requirements  of  his  land  as  well  as  of 
his  crop,  and  how  greatly  the  soil-requirements  vary  in  this  State, 
even  over  a  small  area,  is  strikingly  shown  by  the  field  experi- 
ments annually  reported  by  our  farmers  through  the  Stations. 

3.  It  is  claimed  that  the  same  quantity  and  quality  of  jDlant 
food  costs  much  less  in  home-mixtures  than  in  ready-made  mix- 
tures because  the  cash  purchaser  of  fertilizer  chemicals  deals 
directly  with  the  importer  or  manufacture!-,  not  with  the  middle- 
man or  retailer,  and  receives  quotations  without  reference  to  the 
prices  asked  in  his  neighborhood  by  retailers  of  the  same  goods. 

There  is  no  longer  any  question  as  to  the  expediency  of  home- 
mixing  in  many  cases.  From  such  raw  materials  as  are  in  our 
markets,  without  the  aid  of  milling  machinery,  mixtures  can  be 
and  are  annually  made  on  the  farm  which  are  uniform  in  quality, 
fine  and  dry  and  equal  in  all  respects  to  the  best  ready-made  fer- 
tilizers. 

The  economy  of  home-mixing  depends,  of  course,  on  the  prices  which 
sellers  of  mixed  goods  are  willing  to  take  and  on  the  cost  of  fertilizer- 
chemicals  delivered  as  near  the  faim  as  mixed  goods  can  be  bought. 


There  is  always  a  chance  for  the  farmer  who  studies  the  market  and 
the  needs  of  his  farm  to  save  enough  in  the  purchase  of  his  fertilizers  to 
make  just  the  difference  between  profit  and  loss  on  a  crop,  and  in  farm 
ing,  as  in  everything  else  w^here  competition  is  close,  profit  usually 
comes  from  care  in  these  small  margins  of  expense.  Perhaps  home- 
mixtures  are  not  indeed  always  and  everywhere  cheaper  or  more  eco- 
nomical than  commercial  mixtures,  but  it  will  often  happen  that  money 
can  be  saved  by  the  timely  purchase  of  raw  materials  and  their  mixture 
on  the  farm.  Each  individual  farmer  ought  to  be  the  best  or  only 
judge  of  the  economy  of  home-mixing  in  his  particular  case,  as  well  as 
of  the  "formulas  "  which  are  best  adapted  to  his  soil  and  crops. 


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